HOT PICKS Gift Guide #7: The Sandman Omnibus

Mike Zapcic of AMC’s “Comic Book Men” and Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash in Red Bank, N.J., picks:The Sandman Omnibus, Vol. 1. Of course you know about Neil Gaiman’s masterpiece of graphic literature. I won’t insult your geekiness by implying otherwise, but I will say that this may be the most magnificent printing of this horror/fantasy epoch ever! It IS pricey at $150.00 (cover price), but you certainly get what you pay for: 1,040 pages, and those recolored from the original art, make this an amazing deal. You get Sandman issues #1 through #37 PLUS the Sandman Special. That’s HALF of Gaiman’s original run of the exploits of Morpheus and his siblings, the Endless. This is more a piece of art, or a family heirloom, than a comic book. So replace those flimsy trade paperbacks with a book that speaks volumes (pun intended) about your place in the comic book hierarchy of dorkyness. You ARE an Alpha Dork, and your library should reflect that. So when your Secret Santa slyly asks you what size codpiece you wear, tell, NAY DEMAND! that they call your mom and chip in with her and your Aunt Dolores to purchase this, The Greatest Story Ever Told!

There’s also a Vol. 2 that’s already out … plus a mortgage-the-house Silver Edition of the whole shebang for … $499.95!